Buffet/Sideboard Cabinet - Daughter's Christmas Present

For Christmas 2013 my daughter asked for a storgage bed for my grandson and a buffet/sideboard for her. She had picked out some typical particle board big box store stuff. I asked her if she could wait, and I would build it instead. I finished the storage bed in April 2014, in time for the grandson’s 3rd birthday, and got this finished in time for Christmas this year (the woodshop kinda shuts down from May through Oct – motorcycles and fly fishing time). At least she was happy with it after waiting so long.

The cabinet is made from red oak (2S from a local mill). Power tools for the grunt work, hand planes for flattening panels and final smoothing. The only sandpaper used was 320 prior to finishing (more later) and 600 for finish nib sanding. Oak plywood is used for the cabinet bottom (3/4”) and the back panel (1/4”). It was my 1st opportunity to use my shop made Charles Neil inspired tapering jig on the table saw to make the tapered legs and angled lower face frame (hard to see in pics). Very easy to use, thanks Charles. The cabinet shelves are adjustable via shelf pin holes, created with a Peachtree jig. Doors and side panels are raised panels (1/4” above frame) with 18° bevel. Spaceballs keep the panels centered and allow expansion. The top has a matching 18° bevel.

Finish – sanded with P320 and sanding dust left on the wood. Target Coatings WR4000 clear stain base with Transtint dye (browm and red mahogany, dark walnut, honey amber – had to match other furniture) applied by sponge and wiped down. The waterbased stain will not color the pores due to ph imbalance with red oak, but sanding dust in the pores does a great job of soaking up the stain and coloring the negative grain. Toning done with blonde flake shellac 1/2# cut tinted same as stain, sprayed. Sealer coat of 1-1/2# cut blonde flake shellac sprayed. Topcoat Target Coatings EM2000, semi-gloss, sprayed.